Saudi to host inaugural Olympic Esports Games in 2027
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Lausanne: The inaugural Olympic Esports Games will take place in Riyadh in 2027, two years later than originally planned, following a 12-year agreement with Saudi Arabia signed last year. The qualifying period, the Road to the Olympic Esports Games, will start this year, the International Olympic Committee said on Tuesday.
In June 2024, the IOC Executive Board announced that it would create an Olympic Esports Games, with the 142nd IOC Session held during the 2024 Summer Olympics due to vote on the proposal, IANS reported.
In July 2024, it was announced that the inaugural Olympic Esports Games would be held in Saudi Arabia in 2025, following a new partnership with the Saudi Arabian Olympic Committee. The proposal was ultimately approved by a unanimous vote on July 23, 2024.
For the organisation of the Olympic Esports Games, the IOC is partnering with the Saudi Olympic and Paralympic Committee. The Esports World Cup Foundation (EWCF) will become the founding partner of the Games.
"The IOC and EWCF will collaborate closely with key stakeholders to establish qualification pathways, enhance competitive integrity, and align the national esports ecosystems with broader global standards," the IOC said in a release.
A joint committee of the IOC and the SOPC has been set up to steer the Games. It is chaired by IOC Member Ser Miang Ng and co-chaired by HRH Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al Faisal.
The committee consists of six people, three from each partner, and is currently working to define the games that will be part of the first edition of the Olympic Esports Games.
The cooperation between the IOC and the SOPC was the major topic of a meeting between the Crown Prince and Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia, HRH Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud, IOC chief Thomas Bach and the president of the SOPC and Minister of Sports, HRH Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al Faisal in Riyadh on Sunday.
“There is now a very clear roadmap to the historic first-ever Olympic Esports Games. With the Road to the Olympic Esports Games starting this year, the Games are becoming a reality. This is further evidence of the strength of the partnership between the IOC and the SOPC in many areas," Bach said.
"The journey to the first-ever Olympic Esports Games is clear, with an immediate timeline that works for all parties and sees the Road to Olympic Esports Games start in 2025. Together with the IOC, there is real momentum, unity, and clarity on the way forward, with the focus now on delivering.
“Already Saudi Arabia is looking forward to welcoming the world and playing its part to help the dreams of so many esports athletes come true," the president of the SOPC added.